Early January 1 January
43°F
Typical afternoon high
50% historical wet-day frequency
Germany · Countryside
Is January a good time?
January averages 41°F afternoons, with about 15 rain days.
Historical Gießen regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Marburg and Gießen; conditions vary within the region.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your January
Afternoons around 41°F (5°C): a warm coat; nights around 30°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 15 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 8 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 08:21 and sets about 16:47 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 30°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 41°F (5°C). Expect rain on about 15 days in a typical January.
Early, middle or late?
Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 43°F on the 1st, versus 41°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 50% to 41% between those dates.
43°F
Typical afternoon high
50% historical wet-day frequency
40°F
Typical afternoon high
40% historical wet-day frequency
41°F
Typical afternoon high
41% historical wet-day frequency
Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.
Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year's Day.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 143° | 243° | 343° | ||||
| 442° | 542° | 642° | 742° | 842° | 942° | 1041° |
| 1141° | 1241° | 1340° | 1440° | 1540° | 1640° | 1740° |
| 1839° | 1939° | 2039° | 2139° | 2239° | 2340° | 2440° |
| 2540° | 2640° | 2740° | 2841° | 2941° | 3041° | 3141° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons cool from about 43°F (6°C) in the first week to 41°F (5°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 36–53%. Local schools are out 1–12 January 2027.
Schools here are off 1–12 January 2027 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%, Greece 23%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Visitor season
Moderate season. January averages 37% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.
Overnight stays across Gießen do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.
Hotel price season
About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 35°F (2°C) and 44°F (7°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 41°F (5°C). Rain days ranged from 8 to 19; half the years had 10–16.
Rain days in each January
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 40°F | 10 |
| 2012 | 42°F | 16 |
| 2013 | 37°F | 10 |
| 2014 | 44°F | 15 |
| 2015 | 41°F | 16 |
| 2016 | 41°F | 19 |
| 2017 | 35°F | 9 |
| 2018 | 44°F | 19 |
| 2019 | 38°F | 15 |
| 2020 | 44°F | 8 |
| 2021 | 38°F | 17 |
| 2022 | 42°F | 12 |
| 2023 | 43°F | 16 |
| 2024 | 41°F | 11 |
| 2025 | 42°F | 14 |
Checked against 9 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Dec | Jan | Feb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 43°F | 41°F | 44°F |
| Rain days | 14 | 15 | 10 |
| Overnight demand | 45% | 37% | 47% |
December: Warmer afternoons than January. More overnight demand. December guide →
February: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. February guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.
March to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 45% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the December guide →| Typical conditions | January | December |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 41°F | 43°F |
| Nights | 30°F | 33°F |
| Rain days | 15 | 14 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.7 | 5.8 |
| Month rank | #12 | #11 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.7 | #12 | 41°F | 30°F | 15 | 3.7 | Moderate season |
| February | 6.1 | #9 | 44°F | 30°F | 10 | 4.5 | Moderate season |
| March | 6.4 | #7 | 52°F | 34°F | 10 | 5.7 | Moderate season |
| April | 6.9 | #3 | 59°F | 39°F | 8 | 7.1 | Busy season |
| May | 6.6 | #6 | 66°F | 46°F | 8 | 8.0 | Peak season |
| June | 6.8 | #4 | 74°F | 53°F | 8 | 8.8 | Peak season |
| July | 6.9 | #1 | 76°F | 55°F | 12 | 8.9 | Peak season |
| August | 6.7 | #5 | 77°F | 55°F | 9 | 8.9 | Peak season |
| September | 6.9 | #2 | 69°F | 49°F | 6 | 8.5 | Busy season |
| October | 6.2 | #8 | 59°F | 43°F | 12 | 6.4 | Busy season |
| November | 5.9 | #10 | 48°F | 36°F | 10 | 4.8 | Moderate season |
| December | 5.8 | #11 | 43°F | 33°F | 14 | 3.9 | Moderate season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Frankfurt & southern HesseGermany · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Kassel & northern HesseGermany · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 5.8 · Fair weather, 40°F (5°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
GelderlandNetherlands · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 6.2 · Fair weather, 44°F (7°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Weser-Ems & the North Sea coastLower Saxony · Germany · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 6.0 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Freiburg & the southern Black ForestGermany · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 5.9 · Fair weather, 42°F (6°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Central Hesse's weather ranks 98 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Central Hesse.
PiedmontItaly · about 390 miles
Good weather (5.8): 7°F warmer afternoons, 9 fewer rain days
BurgenlandAustria · about 410 miles
Fair weather (4.8): about as warm, 6 fewer rain days, cheaper
Eastern Sloveniaabout 430 miles
Fair weather (4.9): 2°F warmer afternoons, 6 fewer rain days, cheaper
Western TransdanubiaHungary · about 440 miles
Fair weather (4.8): about as warm, 5 fewer rain days, cheaper
Northern Croatiaabout 470 miles
Fair weather (4.9): 3°F warmer afternoons, 7 fewer rain days, cheaper
It's moderate season, 37% of the busiest month and 47% below its average month. That means about 3,300 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 88% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 600 more: 18 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 54 |
| How our weather was checked | 9 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 3 |
| Busiest month here | August · 8 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.3% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 16th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 88% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 18 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 0.4% |
| National hotel-price season | Germany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.0 million |
| Statistical region | DE72 · Gießen |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.